Meta

When Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King won a Printz Honor back in January, I was mad at myself because it was on my TBR-pile and I hadn’t picked it up yet. So I reshuffled the pile and made sure I got to it that week. Boy, am I glad I did! A worthy-winner, it’s the perfect combination of literary and teen appeal.

Vera Dietz would really like to be invisible. She is perfectly content going through life without anyone noticing her. But since the death of her ex-best friend Charlie, that’s been a lot harder to do. See, Vera knows what happened to Charlie that night. But can she bring herself to clear his name? Can she forgive him enough to do that? Part mystery, part coming-of-age, all amazing- this is a book you must read. No summary can do it justice.

I really loved how King crafted Please Ignore Vera Dietz. The story is told from a variety of perspectives- the living, the dead, even inanimate objects. Everything weaves together into a web of intrigue, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. At the same time, the mystery is not overbearing.

Teens will love Vera and I think most will identify with her in some way. She is sarcastic, quirky, angry, smart, full of love, at times full of hate, and just… real. She jumps off the page and it feels like she is telling you her story while sitting next to you. You can’t help but root for her (and her dad, whom I loved). I even found myself rooting for Charlie by the end, despite his numerous issues.

A worthy book of the Printz sticker. Get this one in the hands of your high school readers ASAP!